Audi Just Took A Huge Step Towards Making Urus-Powered RS Q8 A Reality

12.3K

Views

The Four Rings is serious about elevating the RS Performance brand’s game.

There was no way in hell the allied forces had what it took to build an equivalent to the German enigma. Americans are a very straightforward people. We used to give our fastest cars unique names with connotations of competition, think of the Mustang, Challenger, or Barracuda in this case. The Germans? They love their numbers. American cars have adopted that too as of late, the GT350 or ZL1 1LE being prime examples, but it’s nothing like the Germans, which have just claimed the letters "RS Q8."

According to , Audi just filed a patented for that number and letter combination with the European Union Intellectual Property Office, registering it under the “vehicle and means of transport” section. This confirms hopes of a predictable counteroffer to the BMW X6 M and Mercedes-AMG GLS63 from the Four Rings using , one which would do battle with the young but thriving luxury super SUV segment. The two Germans make 567 and 577 horsepower respectively and bely their weight classes with rather than off-road focus. The RS Q8 would compete more directly with the X6 M given it’s emphasis on comfort and country club supremacy rather than utility like the AMG GLS63.

Like the Lamborghini Huracan does for the Audi R8, the RS Q8 will bridge the gap between the two Volkswagen Auto Group cousins across the board. Over in the Bull’s stable, the Urus will emerge making 600 horsepower from a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, matching the AMG E63 S’ high horsepower-per-liter output of 150 ponies per liter. That same engine will migrate to the Audi along with the Urus’ MLB Evo-based platform, also shared with the Audi Q7, Bentley Bentayga, and Porsche Cayenne, to make the RS Q8 the performance luxury super SUV for those with tastes too conservative for the edgy Urus. Expect the RS Q8 to come to the US within a year after production at Audi’s Bratislava plant commences in 2018.